Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Madden's first squad, 12-1-1, did sweep KC regular season (one year earlier and Chiefs don't even get in) against what is likely to be Bud Grant's most dominant Viking team (despite no Tarkenton).

How does this matchup turn out?

Which Lamonica shows up to play? The one that shreds the Chiefs in Dec '68, or the one that can't hit the broad side of a barn vs the Colts in '70.

JohnR wrote:Which Lamonica shows up to play? The one that shreds the Chiefs in Dec '68, or the one that can't hit the broad side of a barn vs the Colts in '70.

If the latter shows up, the Vikings. On another site (I think You Tube), there was this one Vike fan that thinks they would have defeated the Raiders because they didn't have Stram's confusing offensive scheme.

For whatever reason, the real Vikings didn't show up for any of their SBs. The '69 Vikings were the best team in football except for on SB Sunday. A very uncharacteristic five turnovers cost them the game, plain and simple.

No question, if the real Vikings show up, they beat the Raiders, just like they beat the best the NFL had to offer; the Browns twice, Rams twice, Lions twice, and the Colts...and just like they beat the Chiefs in Week 1 of the '70 season.

I kind of get the idea that Bud Grant would have found a way to lose a Super Bowl to the 1969 Oilers. I don't know how many they should have won, but the offenses were timid and turnover prone and the defenses could never come up with a stop. About all they did well was block punts.

Bud Grant was by far the worst Super Bowl coach. Just wasn't equipped emotionally to turn it up a notch.

But he was emotionally equipped enough to win four Grey Cups? He was emotionally equipped enough to get four teams to the Super Bowl?

JohnH19 wrote:But he was emotionally equipped enough to win four Grey Cups? He was emotionally equipped enough to get four teams to the Super Bowl?

Hey, I just know what I saw. How many SB teams were less impressive in defeat. The Broncos lost 4 straight, so did the Bills. At least those teams had their moments. I would say the Broncos in particular brought a lot less talent into their first 4 SBs than the Vikings did.

The Vikings were great beating the Packers back then. As a Packers fan, I remember. Vikings always found a way. Great against the Rams in the playoffs. In the Super Bowl... they blocked a couple of punts.

There is a common pattern to the Vikings four SB losses: Offensive ineptitude, crucial turnvoers, missed scoring opportunities, special teams miscues, having good breaks immediately followed by bad ones, having their stout defense beaten up and worn down. All of the above categories are represented in each one of their four debacles.

Jay Z wrote:

JohnH19 wrote:But he was emotionally equipped enough to win four Grey Cups? He was emotionally equipped enough to get four teams to the Super Bowl?

Hey, I just know what I saw. How many SB teams were less impressive in defeat. The Broncos lost 4 straight, so did the Bills. At least those teams had their moments. I would say the Broncos in particular brought a lot less talent into their first 4 SBs than the Vikings did.

The Vikings were great beating the Packers back then. As a Packers fan, I remember. Vikings always found a way. Great against the Rams in the playoffs. In the Super Bowl... they blocked a couple of punts.

Right, but what you didn't see was anything that was specifically related to coaching. Grant was a superb head coach so it's very presumptuous to assume that he somehow became a poor head coach in the week or two before a Super Bowl game. Even if something in his coaching style changed, it wouldn't necessarily cause his team to suddenly play like crap. The Vikings had a bad day against the Chiefs but it's quite likely that the Dolphins, Steelers and Raiders were simply better teams.

Todd Pence wrote:There is a common pattern to the Vikings four SB losses: Offensive ineptitude, crucial turnvoers, missed scoring opportunities, special teams miscues, having good breaks immediately followed by bad ones, having their stout defense beaten up and worn down. All of the above categories are represented in each one of their four debacles.

JMO, but I think that the Vikings were flat in their first Super Bowl. In the other 3 they played great teams.